Fastener



Patented Nov. 6, 1928.

UNITED.. strains,

FRED s.; cana, or iv'nwmov, Messnonusnrrsnssienon fro4 oannresrnnnn con- PANY, or aannames, MASSACHUSETTS, n. CORPORATION or Mains'.

Fzisrnivnn.

Application iledFebruary V26, 19725.` Serial No. 11,694.`

This invention aims to provide an improved separable fastener particularly, thoughnnot exclusively, useful for` securing carpetsand`l` the like to floors. y

rThe construction herein disclosed is, in some respects, similar to that disclosed inmy coepending application Serial No. 81,862, liledr January 16, 1926. In that,applicationthere` is claimed generically certain principles .ein-l bodied in the construction shown in the presel ent application and, therefore, this application islimited to a speciiicembdiment of; the.k

invention. Therefore, reference is made: to the'above-referred to application wherein the broad principles ofthe claimed generically.v

In 'the' drawings, which' show one illustra# tive embodiment of myinvention Figiue l is a plan view of a .portion of akv carpet showingthe underlying fastener in dotted lines;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2&2 of Fig.v

l, being partly inv elevation;l y Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the socket; Figft is a top planview of the socket; Fig. `5 is a side elevation of the socket; and Fig. 6 is a plan section of the fastener showing the maximum distortion of the wall of the socket during engagement of the socket with the stud.

Referring to the drawings, I have shown a separable fastener which includes a one-piece socket presenting an aperture surrounded by jaws shiftable to permit passage of the head Vvof a stud therebetween. The socket also pre sents integral means for attachment to a suport. v

The stud, as illustrated, presents a short head l, a neck 2 and a base portion 3, and may be secured to a floor 4 or the like by the usual type of attaching screw as best illustrated in Fig. 2. i

The socket is pressed from a single piece of Y metal and comprises a casing having a peripheral wall 6 (herein shown as rectangular) and presenting a` stud-receiving aperture 7 surrounded by a plurality of resilient fingers 8. The lingers extend inwardly from the lower edge of the wall 6 and are curved upwardly and outwardly at their inner ends to provide curved neck-engaging jaw portions 9. These neck-engaging portions 9 provide a rounded wall about the periphery of the stud-receiving aperture 7 which permits smooth engagement and disengagementof the invention have been* jtrated in Figs.' 2 and 5;

preferably forcedithrough theweb ofthecar-k petand are bent outwardly and downwardly socketJwit-h-the studi. The socket is cutaway i,

between the jawsfto provide i 6a inthe wall 6 `between the ingersjS. `These portions@L are kadapted Vto flex toward the centenofthesocket when a Studis foreedlba tween the jaws to spread them, as shovwninv Fig. 6.y Thus the jaw portions9 andingers 8 may` expand in a generally lateral .plane rather .than bendnpwardly when a studisbe ringengagedwith the socket, but, in order that such lateral movement in'aytake place, theon- PATENT ,0.1ricllz..4 1f

Ylezrible portions tireacontinuous wall 6 must be distortabla i Fromthe above it willbereadily. understoodthat' the flexible portions ,6% between the: iinigers8 permit thelateral `distortion of the wall;

and disengagement of the! duringengagement stud and socket.

The socketmay be secured to a carpet 10er the like, by a plurality ofprongsfll which l extend upwardly fromthe `wall (Sas best illus- These prongs' vare (Fig 2) S0 thfi-txtlleyagain,piercethe web of` the carpet l0l and form hooks over thewarp and weft threadsoffthe weband are concealed by the pile 0f the carpet. Thus the hooks are remote from the neckfengaging portions 9 of the socket and therefore provide a favorable leverage for disengaging the socketfrom the stud, when the carpet is pulled upwardly.

The wall 6 of the casing, as illustrated in Fig. 2, spaces the resilient lingers 8 and the neck-engaging portions 9, which are in `substantially the same plane as the lower l edge ofthe wall 6, away `from the carpet l() to provide a space for the' head 1 of the stud and also to provide means for permitting the jaws 9 to expand forthe head of the stud to pass between them as hereinafter more fully described. f

When the stud and socket are engaged, the flat portions of the `resilient, fingers 8 rest against the base portion 3 ofthe stud, as

illustrated in Fig. 2.

Engagement of the socket and stud may be elfected by pressing upon the carpe-tdirectly over the socket, thereby contacting the jawportions 9 with the head l of the stud. As pressure is. applied to the socket, the jaws 9 open to enlarge the stud-receiving aperture 7. This spreading action is due partly to the slight resiliency of ,the lingers 8, but mostly to the flexibility ofthe wall portions 6ZL at the corners of the socket. These corl ment of the ingers 8 and Jaw portions 9V ner portions of the wall permitlateral moveby tending to straighten as the head' of the stud is forced 'between the neoleengaging portions 9, as illustrated in Fig. 6. Thus itwill be understood that the greater part of the movement or' the jaw portions 9'is in a lateral direction rather than upward or downward. This fact permits the use of a smaller socket because the fingers may be greatly shortened in comparison with a socket Where the upwardand downwardfleX- ing fof the fingers is entirely relied upon to permit passage of the head of a studfbetween them. f f

During the lateral distortion of the wall 6, the attaching prongs l1 are free to move the necessary slight distance because the warp and weft threads of the carpet are more yor lessiiexible.y j l The rperipheral wall 6 strengthens the socket, provides a durable' 'spring means for i the )aw membersy and permits the `.use ofaf `smaller socket than could be used if the socket were made entirely flat. Also the spring acs i tion of the wall at the corners, is much more desirable and eficient than could be', obtained fromfthe use of a flat socket.r l j While I have shown and described a preferredvembodiment of my invention, it will he understoodthat I have done so for purposes of clarification only, my invention being best delined in the appended claims. r:Iolaim: n

1. A. one-piece fastener socket having a conname to this specification. v

tinuous upstanding peripheralVK rectangular neclr-engagingportions, said corner portions of said' wall being more resilient than those portions of the walllocated adjacentto the stud-engaging lingers whereby the wall may bedistorted andthe studengaging ingers spread laterally to permit passageof the headY n of a stud therebetween.

2. A straight sided one-piece y*fastener socketk having a continuous peripheral wall providing the straight sides of the socket7 a plurality ofattaching prongsextending upwardly kfrom saidl wall, studengaging jaws extendingV inwardly from the straightpor.- tions of theV wall and surrounding av stud-re-y ceiving aperture and klaterally yieldable curved kcorner portions otsaid wall connect* ing said straight portions, said corner portions being adapted to yield toward the center of the ysocket thereby permitting lateral movement of the stud-engaging aws and the straight portions oi' the wall outwa'rdlywith r relationl tothe center of the socketA thereby permitting enlargement of the stud-receiving aperture :tor passage of the head of a studl between said jaws.

In testimony whereof, have'signed my FRED. sonne. 

